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On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, a mass shooting claimed the lives of 19 children and 2 adults at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
In a harrowing video captured by a local independent journalist, armed authorities and Texas locals are seen outside the school trying to find assurances that their family members are safe.
The prime suspect has been identified as Salvador Ramos, a local 18-year-old high school student. According to CNN, Ramos allegedly shot and wounded his grandmother before driving to the elementary school, where he is reported to have attacked students with a handgun and AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
An attack on a small South Texas community
The LA Times reported that Ramos, clad in all black and in what is said to be body armor, allegedly travelled to Robb High school in a black SUV following the shooting of his grandmother. He reportedly crashed the vehicle before entering the premises at around 11:30 am.
ABC news reported that the second person to be shot in the rampage was a Uvalde Independent School District police officer who attempted to stop the suspect from entering Robb Elementary. As per Fox2Detroit, Ramos allegedly opened fire on students and teachers within 2 minutes, after which Uvalde ISD officers arrived on the scene and exchanged fire with the suspect.
According to authorities, several U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Agents arrived at the scene as reinforcements, with one sustaining head injuries during the engagement. It was reported that the suspect was allegedly shot and killed at the scene.
In an interview with CNN, Kim Hammond, a Texas local who lives near Robb Elementary School, expressed her initial disbelief at the situation as it unfolded.
“Around 11:25-11:30 something just didn’t feel right… when I sat down I thought I heard a couple pop pops, in my brain I thought hey that sounds like gunfire.”
She continued:
“The living room started to shake and there was a helicopter above my house.”
The perpetrator, a quiet Texas teen
In an official statement, Pete Arredondo, police chief for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, claimed that though the suspect’s motive was unknown, he has not been linked to any greater cause or radical movement.
He said:
“The suspect did act alone during this heinous crime. Let me assure you, the intruder is deceased and we are not actively looking for another individual or any other suspects in this case.”
While little has been revealed to the media about the the alleged suspect, many locals around Uvelde, Texas, have spoken about their relationship with Salvador Ramos.
The Independent spoke to Adrian Mendes, an evening manager at a local Wendy’s who had employed the suspect.
Mendes said:
“He felt like the quiet type, the one who doesn’t say much. He didn’t really socialize with the other employees.”
According to The Independent, several news outlets found an Instagram account which reportedly belonged to Ramos. The page depicts him brandishing what may be a semi-automatic rifle.
A former classmate of Ramos also claimed that the suspect had texted him images of firearms and ammunition a few days before the mass shooting.
He said:
“He would message me here and there, and four days ago he sent me a picture of the AR he was using… and a backpack full of 5.56 rounds, probably like seven mags.”
The classmate described himself as being concerned by the pictures:
“I was like, ‘bro, why do you have this?” and he was like, ‘Don’t worry about it’. He proceeded to text me, ‘I look very different now. You wouldn’t even recognize me.’”
The small community of Uvelde, Texas deals with the tragic aftermath
According to the LA Times, following the shooting, many locals associated with Robb Elementary arrived at the Ssgt. Willie de Leon Civic Center, desperately trying to find out more information about the incident.
Many provided DNA samples so officials could discern whether or not their relatives were among the casualties.
Many netizens tried to assist in their efforts by compiling lists of missing children.
John Yeackle, County Commissioner of Uvalde, Texas, made an official statement to the media.
“Everybody’s heart broken and stunned. It’s a small town, so no one is going to be unaffected. There won’t be anybody that doesn’t know – either directly or indirectly – either family or friends that are going to be affected by this.”
NPR has reported that as of May 25, the violence at Uvalde marks the 27th shooting that the US has seen in 2022, with over 140 people dying in these incidents. The Robb Elementary school attack is the largest public shooting Texas has seen since 2019, when 21-year-old Patrick Crusius attacked shoppers at a Walmart in El Paso.
President Biden addresses Texas shooting
U.S. President Joe Biden commented on the incident in an official address, blaming American gun lobbies for the phenomenon of mass shootings in the country.
He said:
“Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Where in God’s name is our backbone?”
He added:
“As a nation, we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name are we going to do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?”
The New York Times reported that the F.B.I. has released data showing that there has been a significant rise in public shootings in the United States, where guns are readily available to civilians across numerous states, including Texas.
